Earlier reports had indicated that the UK will not be receiving the flagship Sony Xperia X Performance. However, the Japanese company has gone ahead to confirm that this phone may be sold in the region, just like the rest of the Xperia X series.
Speaking of the Xperia X series, this is the new family of Sony-made smartphones that will be taking the place of the world-renowned Xperia Z family. Unveiled at the MWC 2016, this new family drops the use of glass like with the case of Xperia Z series and instead turns to an all-metal design, just like many other current smartphone makers. However, from a distance, you will still know that these are actually Sony Xperia smartphones.
The new family has the Xperia X Performance, which is the flagship version; the Xperia XA which happens to be the mid-range model; and the Xperia X that falls in between the high-end and mid-range model. Now that Sony has confirmed that the flagship Xperia X Performance will follow the mid-rangers to the UK, it is important you know where you can get it from, just in case.
Unlike with the rest of the Xperia X family, the X Performance will not be sold via the usual channels. Instead, the company claims that potential buyers will probably be able to get this device from major retailers in the country. This probably means that the UK will only receive the unlocked version of this device, meaning that buyers must be ready with outright cash in order to get the phone.
“SIM-free Sony Xperia X Performance will not be available for purchase from our Sony E-Shop in the UK. However, it may be available (in limited numbers) via several distribution partners,” a Sony spokesperson said. Of course, this is not a guarantee that this device will be sold in the UK, but it doesn’t stop any third party player from selling the device in the region.
In case you haven’t come across the specifications of the X Performance, be informed that the flagship features top specs that include a 5-inch IPS LCD screen with Full HD resolution, a 23MP and 13MP rear and front cameras, respectively, a Snapdragon 820 SoC and a RAM of 3GB. In addition, users will get onboard storage of 32GB, which is expandable via a microSD card of up to 200GB. To keep the device powered, Sony packed a 2700mAh battery unit with a microUSB port instead of the latest USB Type-C.
The details on pricing and official UK release date are yet to be unveiled. However, Sony has recently confirmed that the Xperia X Performance will be released in Japan this coming month of June. For now, UK dwellers can only make preorders for the Xperia X and Xperia XA.